Winning despite short outings from their starting pitchers for weeks now, rookie right-hander Ross Stripling gave them just their third seven-inning start in the past 43 games. But he also gave up five runs and the Dodgers offense failed to provide the crucial ingredient, sputtering to a 5-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

The Dodgers have scored just three runs in back-to-back losses since pulling into a first-place tie with the San Francisco Giants on Wednesday night. The Giants lost to the Baltimore Orioles, 5-2, in an interleague matchup Friday night, leaving the Dodgers one game back in the National League West.

Stripling gave up solo home runs to Andrew McCutchen and Jordy Mercer in his seven innings. But his biggest problem was a series of paper cuts that led to three runs in the first.

Four of the first Pirates batters reached base on singles – two infield choppers that shortstop Corey Seager couldn’t charge behind the mound and turn into outs, a dunker into center field by Starling Marte and a ground ball through the left side of the infield by Andrew McCutchen. That produced two runs. Another run scored when Seager and Chase Utley were too slow to turn Mercer’s ground ball into an inning-ending double play.

Stripling retired 18 of the 20 batters he faced after the first inning, the McCutchen and Mercer home runs representing potholes on that otherwise smooth road. But the Pirates never trailed.

Stripling joined Scott Kazmir (July 19) and Kenta Maeda (July 10) as the only Dodgers starters to complete seven innings in the past 43 games.

Kazmir and Maeda got eight runs each in support those days. Stripling wasn’t so lucky.

The Dodgers did outhit the Pirates, 12-7, in the game but did very little damage with those hits.

Howie Kendrick had three of them and drove in the Dodgers’ only run in the second inning when he followed the first of Joc Pederson’s two doubles with a two-out RBI single.

Pirates starter Ivan Nova allowed nine hits in 51/3 innings but the Dodgers couldn't take advantage. They had two hits each in the second, third and fourth innings against Nova but scored only on Kendrick’s RBI single. Adrian Gonzalez led off the sixth with a double but was stranded at third base.

In all, the Dodgers left seven runners on base and went 2 for 7 with runners in scoring position in the first six innings. There was less activity once Nova left the scene. Four Pirates relievers retired nine of 10 Dodgers batters at one point until Kendrick's third single of the night in the ninth inning. He went to third on a pinch single from Chris Taylor with two outs.

That put the tying run on deck – as close as it had been since the sixth inning. But Seager popped out.

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